More patients in Swindon will benefit from a volunteer-led South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) initiative after it received new funds.
Swindon’s Community Responder group raised almost £3,500 through South Western Ambulance Charity to purchase a new lifting chair and associated equipment for patients who have experienced a non-injury fall.
The scheme involves trained volunteers called Community First Responders (CFRs) attending these patients after a 999 call has been made.
In each incident, the CFR assesses the patient with support from a clinician in the Control Hub. They use the lifting chair to move patients from the floor to a sitting or standing position, and the clinician decides if an ambulance is required.
The initiative reduces patient wait times and can avoid them needing to go hospital. It also frees-up frontline crews to be available for life-threatening incidents.
Neil Hunt, who led the fundraising for the group, said: “We are delighted to have received this funding to help us to better support patients at home in their local community.
“This fantastic piece of kit enables us to attend a non-injury fall patient, to reduce their suffering and get them back on their feet in a safe and more timely manner.
“The scheme also helps to ensure the most appropriate allocation of emergency services resources.”
The scheme was launched by SWASFT in 2017 to improve response times for these patients and to develop the skills and experience of CFRs.
SWASFT was given the Best Care of Older People accolade at the Health Service Journal’s 2018 Patient Safety Awards for the initiative.
